NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

 Rationale for Discipleship

Jesus left the church one  mission to dedicate itself to until His return.  His followers are to make disciples of all nations and teach them God’s word.  (Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8)  The specific role of each believer in the Great Commission is  negotiable.   Involvement in the ministry of discipleship however, is not.  Whether in “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria (or) the uttermost parts of the earth,” Jesus’ disciples have only one decision to make.  Will they obey or disobey His final command?

       Reaching the nations is and will remain God’s relentless, passionate pursuit until Jesus comes.

                                                                                                             - Find your place in it!

Vision for Ministry

                                           Family is important

If you asked a group of adults to list the three most important things in their lives, family would be on nearly every list.  When missionaries serve the Lord in a foreign country they don’t stop being concerned about the well-being of their children. As a matter of fact the health and well-being of the family is one of the most important factors in    determining a missionary family’s positive impact on the lost they have come to serve.  If children live in fear, insecurity and doubt it will negatively affect the parent’s ministry.  If, on the other hand, children have positive relationships with other kids, teachers and mentors,  parents are free to serve the lost knowing that their children are growing spiritually,  academically, emotionally and socially.

                    Ministry Experience

We have just returned from our first 5 year term on the foreign mission field.  We served in Brazil at an international school for the children of missionaries.  While there we had the opportunity to serve in a   variety of areas.  I (Andy) am a certified high school teacher.  I taught between 4 and 5 different classes for each of the 5 years we were in Brazil.  I served as the school principal for three years and on the school administrative board for two years.  Gina taught 4th grade and helped out with art classes.  She also led the women’s weekly Bible study for several years.  We had the privilege of serving as dorm parents for seven high school girls for two of the years we worked in Brazil.  This was an amazing discipleship opportunity and challenge! 

We are currently on home assignment until July of 2010.  We will be moving to Chiang Mai, Thailand in July and will serve at Grace International School.  I will be teaching high school Bible and also hope to coach.  Gina and I will also be involved in community outreach in orphanages and refugee camps.

The Four D’s of Discipleship

Discipleship takes place in the context of daily life.  It is not something that can be taught only with words.  Discipleship is modeled in the life of the mentor and is assimilated into the life of the disciple.  The only way this process can   occur is if the mentor invests significant amounts of time, energy, wisdom and emotion into the life of the disciple.  As we serve missionary families overseas we have made a conscious choice not merely to teach kids but to disciple them.

We believe to disciple students we must:

1) Defend – them from the sinful world’s value system and worldview, from sinful aspects of culture, from discouragement and doubt.

2) Develop – Help them grasp a vision of what could be.  To offer them resources and encouragement. 

3) Dream for – As adults we can see past this present time (adolescence) and envision the future.  We dream on our students’ behalf, for their protection, for what they can be.

4) Demonstrate – Our students need to see  Jesus working in our lives on a daily basis.  The Great Commission works hand in hand with the Great Commandment – “that ye love one another”.  As we demonstrate God’s love and walk in obedience to Him we can lead our  students in true discipleship.

                              Grace International School

GIS is located in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  There are over 550 students representing over 20 countries enrolled at GIS.  The parents of these students represent over 90 Christian organizations.  They minister through Bible translation, church planting, orphanage work, training of local pastors and teachers and many other areas.  Approximately 50 students at Grace come from the local Thai community and are Buddhists.  The presence of these students    offers evangelism opportunities in addition to the abundant opportunities for discipleship.  GIS is also very involved in the local community.  GIS partners with Agape Home orphanage where high school students volunteer on a regular basis. The school also sends ministry teams to refugee camps along the  Thailand/Burma border several times each     semester.  These teams play sports, teach crafts and play music with the children and adults who are confined to the camps in hopes of  sharing the love of Jesus with them.